Robertson Group is Scotland's fastest-growing private company in profitability over the past three years, according to the latest Profit Track 100 survey.
Robertson Group is Scotland's fastest-growing private company in profitability over the past three years, according to the latest Profit Track 100 survey.
The builder and developer is ranked fourth in the survey's UK league table, which is based on available audited accounts and compiled for the ninth year by Pricewaterhouse-Coopers for the Sunday Times.
Scottish companies take 12 of the top 100 places, the same as last year, and together added more than 3000 jobs over the three-year period.
Robertson last summer reported record results following its restructuring into 10 separate companies operating across six sectors.
The Stirling-based group haired by Bill Robertson, who saw his pay package leap to £3.1m, increased turnover by 22% to £194m and almost doubled pre-tax profit to £9.3m, though the figures relate to the year to November 2006.
Four of the 12 Scottish high-flyers are in housebuilding, while five are clustered in Aberdeen's oil and gas services sector. Hydrasun (ranked sixth) makes oilfield connectors and components, and has 3000 clients across 51 countries.
Corpro Group (ninth) takes in core rock samples for exploration and drilling and says its equipment "has cored a distance of more than 11 times Mount Everest's height". The emergency rescue ships of Craig Group (27th) have saved more than 70 lives in the North Sea, while RBG (29th) offers construction, maintenance and engineering services to the rigs, and QServ (97th) specialises in well and pipeline services.
A sixth company, long-established Wood Mackenzie (55th), based in Edinburgh, offers research and consultancy to the energy industry.
The builders include Springfield Properties (14th), based in Elgin, the Grampian-based construction group CHAP (91st), and housebuilder Applecross Properties (87th), whose luxury three-bedroom flats in Edinburgh have sold for £1.9m apiece.
The other two companies are Search Consultancy (81st) a recruitment firm based in Glasgow, and Loganair (86th).
Frank Blin, regional chairman for Scotland at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the 12 companies had made combined profits of £104m.
"It is great to see local privately-owned companies delivering sustained profits growth and making such a positive contribution to our economy.
"Scotland offers an excellent model of how private companies and dynamic man-agers and owners can drive regional economic growth and development."
